Wicked has been one of the biggest topics of conversation around the country since its theatrical debut ahead of Thanksgiving. Moviegoers have caught up to what musical theater fans have been saying for years, and now everyone has spent weeks with “The Wizard and I” playing on a loop in their heads. Elphaba has become a household name, but many new Wicked fans have wondered where the unique name for the eventual Wicked Witch of the West actually comes from.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Glinda was referred to by name in The Wizard of Oz. The Wicked Witch, however, was only referred to by her title. So where did the name Elphaba come from? Author Gregory Maguire, who wrote the original Wicked novel that the musical and film are based on, has gone on record revealing that the name is a reference to the man behind The Wizard of Oz.
In an interview, which you can watch below, Maguire talks about coming up with the name of Elphaba when first writing Wicked, and how he wanted her name to honor The Wizard of Oz writer L. Frank Baum. The name actually comes from the sounds of Baum’s initials: L (El), F (Fa or Pha), and B (Ba).
“Elphaba comes from the initials of the original author of The Wizard of Oz, whose name was Lyman Frank Baum. L.F.B. I figured if I was going to borrow somebody else’s character and try to make her my own, then I at least wanted the original author to be honored at every address made about her or to her,” Maguire explained in the interview.
“I tried different things, but when I just turned the L into the name of the letter L, El-Pha-Ba, I thought, ‘That’s it.’ Because it’s unusual, it’s not particularly pretty, and yet it’s memorable. So it worked.”
[RELATED: What Movie Musicals Could Follow Wicked to Theaters?]
Maguire referenced other versions of names based on Baum’s initials that didn’t work nearly as well as Elphaba, and it’s a good thing he ultimately settled on the choice that he did. He’s absolutely correct in the notion that Elphaba is a very memorable name, as it has become an iconic name in the world of musical theater. The character of Elphaba is one of the most beloved in modern Broadway history, and now she has become even more popular around the world, thanks to the success of the Wicked film.
Elphaba has been played by numerous actresses over the years, but the role was originated by Tony-winner Idina Menzel — who many movie fans know as the voice of Elsa in Frozen. The on-screen version of Elphaba in Wicked is played by Cynthia Erivo. Menzel does show up in the Wicked movie in a cameo role alongside Kristin Chenoweth (the original Glinda).
Related Posts
-
Image courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
